


things left unsaid

by batyatta (atomicwonderwoman)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Blood and Injury, F/F, Feelings Realization, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, Lingerie, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Porn with Feelings, Pre-Canon, Romance, Vaginal Fingering, Young Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Young Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-19 21:26:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18978679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atomicwonderwoman/pseuds/batyatta
Summary: Angela knew how lucky she was to land a spot at this exchange and she was determined to study, take the most of what she could and go back to Switzerland, finish her degree and get the internship at one of the hospitals affiliated with Overwatch.She was not there to make attachments. Especially not to pretty girls who most likely had a criminal record, who were rumored to be leaders of a gang. Or something. To be completely honest, all she knew with any degree of certainty about Ashe was that she was rich and that she had an omnic butler whom she called the only real family she had left. There was also the part where she smelled like smoke and gunpowder and her kisses tasted of cigarettes and bourbon, which was kind of her favourite part.





	things left unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

Logically, Angela knew how lucky she was to land a spot at this exchange. She was also fully aware that, being from outside of the US, she would have to be much more careful about her conduct than her peers. At least she was over 21 so she didn't need to worry about stuff like alcohol. It shouldn’t be a problem, though. She was never the one for breaking rules and she came here to study, not make trouble. To study, take the most of what she could and go back to Switzerland, finish her degree and get the internship at one of the hospitals affiliated with Overwatch.

She was not there to make attachments. Especially not to pretty girls who most likely had a criminal record, who were rumored to be leaders of a gang. Or something. To be completely honest, all she knew with any degree of certainty about Ashe was that she was rich and that she had an omnic butler whom she called the only real family she had left. There was also the part where she smelled like smoke and gunpowder and her kisses tasted of cigarettes and bourbon, which was kind of her favourite part. She had a commanding air to her that made Angela weak in her knees.

It didn't hurt at all, that she also had a bike, a fact that Angela never considered could make her heart beat faster the way it did. She knew that she should be studying, that she should work on her research project on nanobiotics. She also found it impossible to think too hard about medicine in the last minutes of her class knowing that Ashe would be waiting for her outside the hospital. When her classes finally ended, she was there, propped on the bike, with a cigarette in her hand, her tattoo peeking from underneath the glove. She looked at Angela from under her hat and that was it. One look was all she needed to forget about medicine. She was helpless, really. She walked straight to her, her white coat still on, took that disgusting cigarette out of her hand and smashed it on the concrete. Ashe didn't even pretend to be angry, just chuckled, her voice low and delicious in Angela's ears.

"Ready for a ride, doc?" she asked with a wicked smirk.

Angela didn't reply, she didn’t need to. Instead, she tilted her head up and pressed a kiss to the corner of Ashe’s mouth, took a spare helmet that Ashe got for her especially - golden, like the bullet casings on her hat. It was a bit obnoxious but Angela grew to like it. Ashe climbed on the bike first, giving her a perfect view of the way her leather pants hugged her ass. She followed and they rode off, away from the campus, away from the responsibility, to the desert road waiting for them.

::::

They stopped at Panorama Diner, like they usually did. Over the few weeks that they’d been together, Ashe had taken her to different places, once even to a more fancy restaurant that had her squeeze into a formal dress but in the end, Panorama ended up as the best spot. Ashe got off the bike and held out her hand. Angela took it, not that she needed help. But it made Ashe lips turn in that tiny smile that she enjoyed quite a lot and she’d never deny herself the pleasure. She left the helmet with the bike and followed Ashe inside. The air conditioning was repaired, thankfully, unlike the last time they went there. She took a spot at the table near the window, with the clear view of the train tracks. There was some country song playing in the background from an ancient jukebox. This whole place looked like it was taken straight from an era long gone, a love letter to the period more than accurate representation. She liked it, despite the omnipresent grease and, questionable at best, quality of their coffee. It was easy to imagine herself and Ashe stopping there in a middle of a cross country trip, driving a car ran on gasoline, with actual wheels, like in the old movies. Ashe already looked like she could fit right in some days. They would eat and leave for another destination, maybe stop to refill the tank at the gas station nearby. It was long abandoned now, after the fossil fuels were mostly obsolete.

It was a nice fantasy, just the two of them, driving into the sunset with all the time in the world. Not too different from what they were doing so far - pick up after hospital, drive to a new place she hadn’t seen yet, have some food along the way. Sometimes she’d stay the night in a motel or one time at Ashe’s mansion. Sometimes Ashe drove her back to the dorms, let her study. It happened more and more recently. The fantasy of being like this forever was nice. Preferable to the grim reality of her nearing departure and finals looming on the horizon.

“Somethin’ wrong, Angel?” Ashe interrupted her thoughts.

“If you keep calling me Angel, you’re back to being Lizzie” she replied, turning to face her.

Ashe winced and faked getting shot at. “Auch, doc. Right where it hurts.” She was smiling though. 

“Not a doctor yet” Angela corrected her with a little smile of her own. It felt nice to be with Ashe like that, refreshing after the better part of the day spent among patients and other students. She didn’t need to be nice to her, didn’t need to act calm and collected and, worst of all, professional. Here, she was just Angela and Elizabeth was just Ashe. She hoped at least.

Ashe set her plate before her, a piece of apple pie looking so beautiful with a scoop of ice cream melting on top of it, it was completely out of place in a diner like this. One look at the mug of coffee and she was back to reality, another at Ashe’s tray of fries and milkshake grounded her entirely.

“So-” Ashe started, dipping a fry in her milkshake. “What’s the plan for today?”

“You tell me” she said and took a bite of the pie. It was heavenly as always, melting in her mouth, sweet with a hint of cinnamon and the ice cream complimented it perfectly, the chill making the otherwise excessive sweetness all the better. Not as good as the one at the Lindholms, though. But close enough to dull the edge of homesickness.

“I have some business to take care of so I’ll take you to my place, get it over with and go back to you. Shouldn’t be too long, we’ll have more time than usual today. And you can stay the night. In the meantime however, you’ll be by yourself, but I can leave B.O.B. if you want?”

“No, it’s not an issue, really. I need to study for the finals anyway so some peace and quiet will be for the best.”

“Finals, huh?” Ashe frowned. “And then you’ll be leavin’?”

“Yes.”

They fell silent. Angela wanted to focus on eating but it wasn’t easy, no matter how delicious the pie was. The reminder of her finite time here hung heavy over them. It was inevitable. It was painful as hell. Verdammt, that’s why she didn’t want to make any connections. It would be much easier to think about leaving if she never met Ashe, never felt like, if only circumstances were different, they could have something. Or not. With Ashe involved in gang activity, Deadlock activity, this whole thing might just as well blow up in their faces some time along the way. Maybe it’s for the best if-

“Hey, Earth to Angela” Ashe flicked a fry at her. She looked up. Ashe was just as pretty in the diner as she was in any other place, fitting effortlessly. She was looking at her with those red, piercing eyes. 

“What is it, Ashe?”

“I was asking if you wanted to see my clubhouse? You know, where the gang meets” Ashe shrugged. “It’s not too far and you haven’t seen it yet. I can get B.O.B. to bring your stuff there.”

“And you only now find it fitting to invite me? I feel deceived” she tilted her head.

“I wanted you to have a taste of what Route 66 has to offer. If we only spent time there it would end up boring quickly.”

Ashe winked and smiled, taking a sip from her straw and her smile? It did  _ things _ to her. The red lipstick and contrast between it and the white plastic only amplified the effect. It was still intact despite the empty tray in front of her. 

“Ok, let’s see that clubhouse” she conceded. What was the worst thing that could happen?

::::

It turned out not to be too bad, in the end. It didn’t look too special, just an old warehouse repurposed for whatever Deadlock needed it for. She didn’t notice too much security but, given that it was an illegal operation, there probably were some lookouts. Not that she looked too hard for them, too focused on the closeness of Ashe, the smell of her leather jacket. They left the bike among many similar but none of them quite as nice as Ashe’s. Ashe helped her off, again, keeping the charade of chivalry as if she didn’t already have Angela charmed. She led her inside. It wasn’t too busy, just a few people, mostly men. At the sight of her with Ashe, the whistles resounded but one look from Ashe had the room silent. 

“We’re going out in ten!” she shrieked and they scrambled to get ready. No one bothered her when she was led to the back, leaving the bar and pool table behind. She glimpsed a dartboard but that was it, Ashe pulled her into another room, her grip white-knuckled around Angela’s hand. 

This room was undeniably Ashe’s. She had taken her to the mansion where she grew up once but they didn’t really stay there for too long or go back. This room was nothing like that one, though. It was still lavish and clean, the bedsheets were probably silk, but it was also lived in, the way that the mansion wasn’t. There were her clothes on the floor, a dressing table with her makeup stuff in disarray, clearly used just before she left to pick her up. At the mansion everything was stowed away in a walk-in closet, folded nicely. Here, Ashe seemed to keep some semblance of organisation but it didn’t feel so cold and lifeless. There was a table with her rifle on it, where everything was in order, the equipment used for maintenance and bullets arranged neatly. She liked it. A lot. Especially the little personal touches, like the pictures stuck to the mirror or a bra on the back of the chair. There was no sign of her ribbons or academic awards, like back at the mansion, where it was clearly displayed for show. If something made its way here, it had to matter - the paperbacks on a shelf, a stuffed bear for some reason, a red, wool blanket on the bed with a golden pattern on the border that looked too imperfect to be anything but handmade. The room wasn’t too big but it didn’t feel cluttered like her roommate’s side at the dorms which was refreshing. Ashe closed the door behind them and pulled Angela into an embrace.

“Welcome to the clubhouse” she said and kissed her. Angela closed her eyes reflexively and wrapped her arms around Ashe’s neck. It was a second nature to her now, Ashe kissed her and she was ready for anything she had in store. But this time, Ashe only nibbed at her lower lip before she broke off.

“And now,” she murmured. “Your reward.” 

She walked over to the dressing table and took a box out of the drawer. Angela recognized it and swallowed. They only started playing recently but so far it was amazing and that box was their signal. Ashe smirked and slowly came back to her. She opened the box and there it was -  a simple, delicate, golden chain.

“Are you sure you want this?” she asked. Angela huffed with annoyance.

“Yes I do, I already told you that I  _ do _ .”

They discussed it last time, she explicitly said that she wanted to try the collar if Ashe was into it. Still, Ashe looked relieved for a second but pulled herself together and her expression changed. She straightened up and lifted her brow. With a thrill, she realised her mistake. She held up her hair and lifted her chin to give Ashe unrestricted access to her neck.

“Please, collar me, Elizabeth,” she said breathlessly. Ashe smiled at that and locked the chain around her neck. Her fingers were trembling just enough to notice but not enough to hinder the movements. The chain, the collar was cold and light but there, unmistakable weight around her neck. A promise.

“That’s my girl” she grazed the chain and caressed Angela’s cheek. She leaned into the touch, closed her eyes but her touch was gone, too quickly for her. She let out a quiet whine, against herself.

“I have to go soon,” Ashe said and Angela could feel the longing in her voice. “I’ll lock you in here but in case of emergency there’s a spare key and the locks should open by themselves. I don’t know when I’ll be back but it should be soon and I’ll get straight to you, ok?”

Angela bowed and didn’t lift her head.

“Yes.”

“For now you’re free to do whatever you need to, B.O.B. will be soon with your things. Look at me.”

Angela did and found herself entranced by her face, her lips, the smudged lipstick in the corner, her shirt and vest tight over it. Her posture, somehow bigger. More powerful and the effect was only amplified by the way Ashe was looking at her with a fire in her eyes, so intense she felt she might burn under her stare. She found herself breathing heavily and she had to pull herself back together. Thankfully, a knock interrupted them.

“Come in!” Ashe yelled. 

B.O.B. entered with a bag she recognised as the overnight one she kept at the dorm and a stack of her textbooks. He left it on the bed and tilted his hat at her. She smiled at him and waved in a greeting. He nodded and left them alone again. The interruption was brief but enough to break the charm.

“I’ll have to get ready” Ashe said mournfully. 

She nodded and sat on the bed, reached for her textbook. She watched Ashe change quickly into a new shirt and a different vest. She wondered briefly if it was somehow reinforced, it definitely looked sturdier than just a leather vest she’d been wearing before, but it’s Ashe. Might as well be a fashion statement. She stopped in front of the mirror and reapplied the lipstick, then took her gun and spare bullets. She left the room with one last glance at her, closed the door behind her, the key clicked and Angela was alone.

::::

At some point, Angela moved from the bed to the dressing table, deeming it safer than the desk with weapon equipment. She had enough room to spread out the books and notes which was the only thing she needed. But there was only so much work she could do before she felt the need to blow her head off and the sky was turning orange, flitting through the blindfolds. It was getting late and Ashe was still out there. She was alright, probably. Most likely. Angela realised that she had no frame of reference for this kind of thing and no one to ask.

Just her in this room, alone. The room must have been soundproofed but even if someone from the gang was here, Angela wouldn’t be too inclined to ask them. With Ashe, this whole situation, there was always that question, at the back of her head if what she was doing was reasonable. She had no doubts that it wasn’t but she found it hard to care. Ashe may be some gang leader, what she did was objectively wrong. But Ashe was hot and dangerous and sparked something in her the day they met and it was still burning, each day brighter. It couldn’t be love, more like infatuation but it was exhilarating nonetheless. And that danger? It was the best part. With the responsibility that was looming at the horizon, it was the last moment she felt like she could be reckless. In moderation, of course. Mingling with Ashe was just enough thrill. Besides, Ashe has kept her away from less legal activities for the most part, anyway.

She stretched and jumped off the bed. If she was to take a break from studying, she could walk around, explore. On one hand, she was curious, on the other, well. She wasn’t about to start lying to herself - Ashe was so interesting, so alluring because she didn’t know her that well. What was a few months of dating, if they could even call this thing dating, when neither was too forthcoming with the more personal stuff. The mystery was part of a charm. But she was curious too. The pictures on the mirror, for example. There were some shots of Ashe and people Angela assumed were part of her gang, some of her alone. One selfie with her “Wanted” poster. And there was a picture torn in half, the part stuck to the mirror showed her at the poker table, B.O.B.’s hand next to her. Ashe was smiling there, younger.  Cocky but there was no anger underneath. Angela wondered briefly what would it be like to meet her back then but at the same time, she liked Ashe enough as she was.

She liked when she opened up about her favourite books, when she told her stories from her childhood. How her loneliness resonated with Angela. She may have had both parents but she was raised mostly by a mute omnic. Still better than nothing, she supposed, looking back to the foster homes she was sent to but at the same time, she had no friends. Children at school didn’t like her because she was too rich, too outspoken, too different. They left her alone when she got in trouble. Sure, they provided her with everything she needed, materially which was much, much more than Angela had but they were never there. At least that’s what Ashe said. And Angela didn’t really have any grounds not to believe her. Whether she played it up was another matter entirely, not that it mattered too much in the end. 

She’d be gone not before long and there were more important things than truth.

The problem was, she was getting bored. She never felt like she was made to be idle for prolonged periods of time. She did sometimes hyperfocus but that was an outlier and usually, when she was left to her own devices when studying a subject, when a tangent wouldn't let her leave. Here though, with the prospect of Ashe coming back any time and her only companion being the textbooks and, fascinating as medicine is, there was only so long she could read her textbooks before she died of boredom and it didn’t help that she was mostly revising what she studied during the semester.

She heard a low rumble and perked up as it got closer and closer. Ridiculous as she felt, she walked over to look out of the window, the sound louder and louder and growing more and more familiar. She recognized it and the silhouette in the cloud of dust approaching was only a confirmation. She touched the chain around her neck, warmer now that she’d been wearing it and felt a chill go down her spine. Soon. Soon, Ashe will be there and the real fun will begin. They’d discussed it beforehand, like they always did and now that Ashe was approaching, she went to the box, ran her fingers over the lid. She wasn’t allowed to open it herself, but it was there, a beacon for her attention, stronger and stronger now that she knew for a fact they’ll be using its contents.

She had other preparations to do, though. She ventured to her bag and dug out the fancy lingerie set she had bought recently, took off her clothes and folded them neatly. She went to the bathroom and showered, bathed herself in the nice soap Ashe kept and then applied her own, special oil. She dried her hair though, with how hot it was already, despite the air conditioning,  it would probably be dry by the time Ashe was back and ready for her. She put her hair up, making the chain around her neck even more prominent and put on the bra and panties, then the garter belt and stockings. She took a look at herself in a mirror and smiled appreciatively. She looked good, there was no way around it, not with the fit of the bra, delicate but strong enough to hold her breasts and make them pop. She ran her hand along her side, luxuriating in the softness of her skin. Now, she only had to wait for Ashe to come in and see her. She put on a robe, a silk one that Ashe sometimes sported in the motel rooms, navy with golden, floral embroidery just kitsch enough to be somewhat tasteful. 

She went back to the room and cleaned up her books and notes, put them all aside. She sat on the bed and waited as the commotion on the other side of the wall grew and subsided, waited for Ashe to be done with the Deadlocks, waited for her to come back to her.

But Ashe took her sweet time. It was infuriating but there was nothing Angela could do. So she took the research notes for her paper and reviewed them once again but it was all more as a means of distraction than any substance. And when the lock in the doors finally clicked and Ashe stumbled inside she was more than ready to let her know just what she thought of that but she stopped in her tracks at the sight of blood on Ashe’s side. Her vest was gone so it was clear to see where she was hit, the red stark on her white shirt, torn in the spot.

Gods, she hoped it was something minor. A graze. Maybe a cut with a stitch or two.

“Hey there,” Ashe said and straightened herself. “I see you’ve been waitin’ for me.”

It was a valiant attempt, Angela gave her that, but it was also not nearly enough to make her unsee the fact that she was hurt.

“None of that now, Ashe. What happened?” She winced inwardly at the tone of her voice, the one she used as a team leader. She walked over to her quickly, let her hand hover over the shirt and she looked up at Ashe’s face. She got a nod in response so she lifted the shirt and looked underneath. There was a makeshift dressing. She went to the bathroom, washed her hands in a manner she was taught in an operating room to the best of her abilities and, without touching anything, went back to Ashe who sat on the chair near the desk. She motioned at the dressing and Ashe took it off, her wound for Angela to see.

She let out a relieved sigh. It was just a cut. One that may not even mandate stitches but with Ashe’s lifestyle she’d feel better if there was at least one to hold the wound together. It seemed clean and the edges were smooth. Made with a sharp weapon then, a knife most likely.

“The vest took most of the damage,” Ashe said. Angela nodded and took off her robe. The sleeves would only hinder her movements. 

“And no one took care of it?”

“The knife? Or the guy that tried to cut me?”

She glared at her and Ashe sighed. “I promised I’ll get to you as soon as I can.”

“But that doesn’t mean you should have skipped taking care of it!”

“You can fix it better anyway.”

“Doubtful,” she sighed but she was already going over the suturing procedure in her head. “Do you have a suturing kit?”

“Like a proper one? Should be with the first aid stuff in the nightstand.”

Angela fetched it, took everything out and went back to the bathroom to clean her hands again.

“I’ll need your help. You know how to open sterile packages? So that the contents remain sterile?”

“Of course I do.”

“Great, start with the gloves.”

It went smoothly. As smoothly as Angela doing stitches on someone can go given her lack of experience. But Ashe was calm and patient enough and when Angela apologized for the aesthetic effect, she shrugged and showed her that no matter what Angela did, it was impossible to leave uglier scar. She put on some antibiotic ointment and sterile dressing, took the gloves off and gathered the trash. 

“Thank you for allowing me to practice,” she said.

Ashe chuckled. “You’re much better than any of those idiots. Come here.”

She motioned at her lap and Angela let her pull her close so that she ended up straddling her. Ashe nuzzled her neck and kissed the spot where her collar touched the skin. She then ran her hands down Angela’s sides and squeezed her ass. Angela held on her neck and let her kiss both her breasts over the border of the cup of her bra.

“You prepared for me,” Ashe whispered and bit her earlobe. “Went out of your way to look pretty just for me, Angela.”

Angela cupped her cheek and turned Ashe’s face to face her.

“Of course I did, Elizabeth. Only the best for you.”

“Shall we?” Ashe asked and motioned to the bed. Angela nodded with enthusiasm.

Her breath hitched when Ashe stood up and lifted her in process. She tightened her legs around Ashe’s waist but it seemed like she didn’t find Angela as too heavy and she didn’t really have too much brain capacity left to ponder how hot she found that because Ashe kissed her and all that mattered was the press of her lips, her body so close to her, warm and strong and mostly whole and she didn’t even realize just how relieved she was. Not until Ashe sighed into the kiss and lay her on the bed, next to the box, luckily without tripping.

The box. That thought sent a shiver down her spine and was much more successful than a collar at awakening the part of her that she didn’t enjoy too much outside bedroom. Ashe took the box and opened it. Angela knew what was inside and swallowed at the thought of a real collar that it hid. Among other things. 

“All the time you’ve been watin’ and you didn’t even take a peek.”

“Those were the rules.”

She sat up on her heels and straightened her back. Ashe hummed appreciatively, took out her proper collar and clasped it around Angela’s neck, took off the chain and hid it with the rest of their stuff. Angela released a breath she didn’t remember holding and relaxed, despite the perfect posture. Ashe smiled and took out the cuffs for her wrists and ankles.

“You still good with them?”

She considered the question. Even though it was already agreed what today was supposed to be, Ashe getting injured wasn’t something they took into account and neither was the weird uneasiness that it brought. Angela knew Ashe was not invincible but she never saw the direct aftermath of her activities. Only scars and some faded bruises. It affected her in a way it shouldn’t have. And put a damper on her mood.

“Not today.”

Ashe nodded and hid them. Angela took a long look at her, the dust in her hair and the unbuttoned shirt, the dressing showing. 

“Actually, I don’t want to play today,” she said and unlocked her collar. Ashe hid it with the rest. 

“So what do you want to do?”

“Take care of you.”

Ashe snorted. “Nice one, Angel.”

Angela cupped Ashe’s face and forced her to look her into eyes. “Elisabeth Caledonia Calamity Ashe I’m going to take care of you. Let’s start with cleaning you up.”

Ashe stared at her wide-eyed, taken aback. Like being taken care of wasn’t something that happened to her. Given how nice she was to Angela so far, it was within the realm of possibility. It was terrifying, when Angela allowed herself to consider implications so she didn’t and just followed the whim. She started undressing Ashe. The tie and shirt went off first, showing a small, fresh bruise on her hip, just where the vest ended. She folded the shirt and put it aside. Next, went the boots, leg guards and trousers until she was only in her underwear.

To Angela’s relief, the worst thing was the cut and that was already taken care of. She led Ashe to the bathroom and sat her in the bath. She didn’t put up any resistance which was unexpected. She thought she’d at least try to fight her but there was nothing. The dressings were waterproof, thankfully, but she was careful not to lather it anyway. At first, she planned on going about washing Ashe efficiently but it was hard. She was right there for her and her hands lingered, pressing gently into her flesh. It was grounding to have her here, to be sure that she’s alright.

She shouldn’t be worried, there was no logical reason for her to worry so much but she couldn’t help feeling reassured with every touch. 

All this time Ashe was silent. Like she was in stupor but she reacted to her touch, leaned back when she was combing her hair. Held her hand. This new intimacy fucked her more than whatever they had before. Like the summer fling got real and Angela knew better than that. 

She knew better than to fall in love with Ashe.

They ended up back in bed, sitting cross-legged, facing each other. Angela flicked a loose strand of hair behind Ashe’s ear. Ashe closed her eyes and stopped Angela’s hand from withdrawing with her own. They stopped like that for what felt like ages, suspended in time. Angela didn’t know what to do with the flood of emotions that were threatening to break her mental barriers but she was curious too. What would it be like to let go, to surrender.

She closed the distance between them and pressed their foreheads together.

“Talk to me, Ashe,” she said. 

Ashe swallowed and breathed, in and out. Bracing herself.

“Fuck” she whispered.”I-fuck, Angela, I don’t- fuck.”

They breathed together, in unison. Slowly, a break, counterpoint to the storm breaking free but there was no stopping it anymore and Angela was done trying.

She captured Ashe’s lips in a kiss, trying to translate what was going on in her head, things she couldn’t name into movement of her lips and her tongue and Ashe responded, matched her ferocity and pushed her onto her back, pinned Angela’s arms to the mattress. They kissed because speaking was too much for either, they kissed because if there was a chance that if you leave something unsaid it will be less true, they wanted to take it. At least Angela wanted and with the heat building up between her legs, the press of Ashe’s hips on her, grinding on top of her, she found it easy to not think. Not speak, only breathe heavily, gasp when Ashe’s hand slid inside her fancy lace panties that somehow remained on her. She lifted her hips to help Ashe take them off and then press into the fingers toying with her folds, until she slid two inside and pressed. 

She opened her eyes to look at Ashe above her, her long hair was tickling her face and she was so beautiful like this, so much more than ever, focused with her eyes closed but when she opened them, looked at Angela, that was the moment she felt more exposed than ever before but it was quickly out of her mind because she felt the lightest press of finger to her clit which had her curl her toes and tighten the muscles in her thighs.

Ashe smiled and it was so soft, so different than their previous encounters. She thought she knew Ashe’s face but she was wrong. This was a new expression, one she’d dare to call adoring if they were different. But they were different now. She hoped Ashe could see it in her face, see the new vulnerability she felt. That she saw that Angela was just as affected.

Ashe moved her fingers again, setting a near unforgiving pace, working hard with her fingers and pressing on her clit with her thumb and Angela helped her as she could, grinding into the touch, all cognitive thoughts forgotten. She touched Ashe’s sides, ran her fingers up her body, to her breasts hanging above her and pressed, the flesh soft in her hand, a little too much for her to cup them entirely. Ashe was working her still, relentlessly and she could feel the orgasm building slowly and intense. She kissed Ashe’s neck, bit on her pulse. Ashe moaned and Angela grabbed the back of her head and pulled her head down so that Ashe’s forehead rested on her shoulder. She could feel her breath on her collarbone, warm and steady and heavy. All hers and she grazed the Ashe’s scalp, hot underneath her fingertips. 

It was getting harder to focus on anything and all that was there left was that she was close, so close but it wasn’t until Ashe whispered “come for me Angela” in her stupid, attractive drawl and bit her ear that she was there, clenching around Ashe’s fingers, her hand in Ashe’s hair tightening and with a final gasp she came. 

Breathe in and out, in and out and Ashe’s fingers still inside her, much slower now, gentle instead of frantic. She opened her eyes and looked at Ashe whose face was still in her shoulder. She felt boneless and comfortable and ready to drift off but then Ashe was still there, still breathing heavily, mouthing on her collarbone. She flipped them so that Ashe was underneath her. She braced herself on her arms and took in the picture that Ashe made, her hair like a halo around her face, with red cheeks and smeared lipstick, lips swollen and eyes glistening and unfocused. She was gorgeous like that, if she had any artistic skill at all, Angela would draw her and hang the picture in a museum but all she had was her memory. She touched Ashe’s cheek, put a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Gorgeous,” she said, hoarse. “Gorgeous and mine, all mine.” 

She kissed the corner of Ashe’s lips and ran her hand over the expanse of her abdomen, leaned down to kiss her collarbones and breasts while her fingers found the way between Ashe’s folds, found that sweet spot that had her tense underneath her and gasp, open her eyes wider. She smiled and moved her fingers in little circles, not once leaving the clit untouched and Ashe was coming underneath her, clenching her hands in the bedsheets.

She kissed her on the mouth, slower now, lazy. Collapsed on top of her, pressing their bodies together. It wasn’t the most comfortable, they were sweaty, she should probably wash or lick her hands clean and yet there was nowhere she’d rather be. After a beat, she moved so that she was facing Ashe and she lifted her hand to play with her hair. Ashe was breathing slowly, clearly on the verge of sleeping. But she was looking at her with those beautiful, red eyes, lips parted. Angela kissed her again, chasing her taste but too tired to actually do anything more. She threw her arm around Ashe’s middle and curled below her chin, listening to her steady breath and heartbeat. Ashe hummed and scooted closer, embraced her and planted a kiss on the crown of her head.

They fell asleep like that,  wrapped in each other, their breathing in unison and all pretense forgotten.

::::

Time went fast, though. The finals came and went, she passed everything with flying colors as she always did. Soon enough, too soon for her taste, she was done with schoolwork and research, had her things packed in bags and ready to go home.  And soon enough, this whole thing will be more like a dream than memory, the sunsets and the desert in the past, overshadowed by the workload and the simple reality. Her day to day life will resume and so will Ashe’s. 

They didn’t talk about that time, never acknowledged the change that it brought. The safety they felt in each other arms, how everything was suddenly charged and more intense. How Angela would come over mostly to the clubhouse from then on, how she’d be there to greet Ashe when she came back from her heist.

There was nothing to talk about when she was almost gone anyway.

Ashe was the one to take her to the airport, despite her avoidance of public spaces. Angela buried her face in the back of Ashe’s jacket, feeling it warm up  _ again _ . She promised herself she wouldn’t cry, not again, not after she had to hold back tears in the morning when they had their last breakfast together. But her will had nothing on her emotions and tear ducts so soon, the jacket was wet, her cheeks were wet and she’s was just so very tired.

She didn’t want the ride to end. Ever.

They stopped at the parking. Ashe left the bike there. Her bags were ready for her to pick up, B.O.B. had them all delivered in the meantime so that they could get that one last motorcycle ride. Just as always, Ashe jumped off first and held out her hand to help her get off the bike. Just as before, she accepted, took off her helmet and gave it back to Ashe.

“Ready to go?” Ashe asked, face hidden by the brim of her hat and her yellow bandana.

“Yes,” Angela lied. She knew it was not convincing at all, they both knew, but she didn’t have the luxury of not being ready. They already stretched the departure for as long as they could.

She held her head down but Ashe took her chin and lifted it up.

“Hey,” she said softly, eyes shining over the edge of the bandana. “I’ll miss you too.”

Angela was not emotional, at least she liked to believe that. But it was hard to pretend to be unaffected with her tears drying and new ones threatening to fall. Ashe reached behind and untied the bandana she had covered her face with. She folded it and held out to her. Angela took it and wrapped her arms around Ashe, felt her return the hug. They stood there for a beat, wrapped in each other before B.O.B. patted her on the back. 

She gave Ashe one last kiss on the lips, quick and featherlight, waved at B.O.B. and turned away.

It was time to go back home.

_ fin _

 

**Author's Note:**

> Great thanks to my best friend and roommate without whom it would never happen.  
> And thank you, dear reader, for reading it, if you liked please leave kudos or a comment it fuels me just as much as coffee if not more <3
> 
> I'm on twitter as [batyatta](http://twitter.com/batyatta)


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